Brand Identity

As the Wellesley Council on Aging (COA) looked ahead to our new home in the Tolles Parsons Center, we saw this transition as an opportunity to enhance our visibility in the Wellesley community. Developing a new brand positioning and identity became a part of establishing a more visible, positive, compelling and professional image. 

This new positioning needed to capture the spirit and imagination of the COA audience. The current COA “user” is a proud, happy and satisfied member of a growing community of older adults in Wellesley. 

As the basis for a new brand identity, the consulting team of Barrie Atkin & Joan Seamster worked with a project team on the COA’s branding and messaging development. Building on the findings from discovery interviews and a town-wide survey, the consulting team facilitated a process that led to the development of the positioning concept that the COA provides “life enhancing” opportunities. Chuck Matzker, a talented local Art Director, was brought in for the creative phase. 

The chosen COA identity is an abstract of a cross section of a tree, inspired by Chuck’s walk through a tall growth forest. He envisioned the aging process and its connection to a tree growing up, expanding from the inside to the outside, adding on through the years. This graphic identity is not static, it has movement. The circle or ring begins at the end of the “W” and then circles around to the beginning of the letter in a continuous loop. The “W” identifies the COA as a part of Wellesley, but is distinct and has its own character – not to be confused with the “W” for the Town or for Wellesley College. It has an artistic element that elevates it above a literal execution. The color green adds to the sense of growth and newness. This brand identity is both functional and iconic and it provides distinctive messaging opportunities for the now and into the future.

The Wellesley COA extends appreciation to The Fund for Wellesley for supporting our Marketing & Branding repositioning project.